Clasp.



No. 865,434. v PATENTED SEPT; 10, 1907 A. SGHUGH.

CLASP. APPLICATION FILED APE. 1.1907.

AUGUST SOHUOH, OF WASEOA, MINNESOTA.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed April 1,1907. Serial No. 365,755.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST ScHUcH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waseca, in the county of Waseca and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps; and I do cleclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to clasps, and has for its object to provide a device which can be quickly applied for securing two members together, and can be as quickly released or separated from the members.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the iuvention,l igure 1 is a top plan view of a hay rack provided with my improved clasp; Fig. 2 is a side elevation oi the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation; Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the clasp with the draw chain open or disconnected at its ends; Fig. 5 is an end view oi the same showing the ends of the chain connected.

As ordinarily constructed, hay racks are very heavy and unwieldy and very diflicult to be placed upon or taken from an ordinary farm wagon without special appliances. jection by constructing the rack of two parts, and providing means whereby said parts may be rigidly secured together after they have been placed upon the wagon, and which will permit 01' their being separated before the rack is removed.

I n the drawings I have shown the rack as composed of the ordinary sills 1, which may be of any ordinary construction and extend from one end of the wagon to the other when in position, and provided with the usual ladders or uprights 2, at its ends, said ladders being adapted to be turned down lengthwise of the rack when not in use. The forward ends of the sills are permanently secured to the bolster 3, which is adapted to be secured to the running gears by the king bolt which passes down through the opening 4 in the bolster in the usual manner. Additional cross pieces 5 are preferably provided upon the under sides of the sills for holding them in their relative position. These parts are adapted to be placed upon or removed from the wagon in the usual manner, and the upper structure is adapted to be placed thereon separately and secured thereto by means of my improved clasp.

The upper structure consists oi the cross pieces 6, which may be halved into or joined with the sills or longitudinal pieces 1, in the usual manner, and grain boards or side pieces 7 are rigidly secured to the cross pieces by bolts in the usual manner, the rear cross pieces being preferably bowed upward to project over the hind wheels.

My improved clasp 8 comprises a flat plate of the I purpose remedying this defect or obproper width and having its end provided with downwardly extending portions 9 at diagonally opposite corners. Each ear or projection 9 is preferably substantially triangular with its free end formed into or provided with an eye or hook 10. Said ears are provided with perforations 11 in alinement with each other, through which a bolt 12 may be passed for permanently securing the clasp to the cross pieces 6 and thereby prevent their becoming accidentally displaced or lost.

Connected with the two hooks or eyes 10 are two pieces of chain 13 and 14, one of which is preferably longer than the other and is provided with a lever 15, which is adapted to be passed through one of the links of the other chain, generally the last one, and then turned back adjacent to the main portion of the chain 13 and secured thereto by means of a ring 16, which is adapted to be slipped over the end 01 the lever and thereby hold the two ends of the chain together.

By constructing the parts oi a hay rack as above described and providing them with my improved clasp, each part of the rack can be placed upon the wagon, or removed therefrom, independently oi the other. There is a clasp at each crossing of the pieces 6 and the sills 1, by means of which they are fastened together or separated, as the case may be.

By arranging the cars 10 at diagonally opposite'cor ners ol the clasp or plate 8 the chain 13 must be passed from one side to the other around under the bottom of the sill, thereby causing the grip of the chain to hold said two parts of the rack together with suiiicient rigidity to permit oi the rack being used for ordinary purposes and even permitting the upsetting of the load without separating them. By properly adjust ing the length of the chain, as by twisting it by means of a lever underncath the sills, the leverage that can be secured by the lever 15 will be suflicient for the above purpose.

The clasp is very simple and can be constructed so as to be applied by any ordinary mechanic and can be operated by a farmer without the use of tools or special appliances. It permits of the parts of the rack being handled or lifted much more easily than with racks as ordinarily constructed, and by reinovingthe upper portion of the rack, the lower part can be used for other purposes, as hauling wood, lumber etc.

Having described my invention, I claiin:

l. A clasp for hay racks comprising a plate, the diagonally opposite corners of which are provided with attaching means, a flexible member connected with each of said means, one of which is provided with a lever for detach ably engaging with the other member.

2. In a clasp for hay racks, a plate, the ends of which are bent down to form triangular ears, said ears being perforated and provided with attaching means for diagonally opposite corners of the plate, and a chain secured to each ear, the free end of one 01 said chains being provided with a lover which is adapted to he passed through the other chain, and means for locking said lever to its chain after it has been passed through said other chain.

:5. A hay rack comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being provided with sills and the upper portion being provided with cross pieces and grain boards, clasps for securing said portions together, each clasp comprising a plate adapted to be secured to said cross pieces and provided with chains for two of its diag- 10 onally opposite corners, the free end of one of said chains being, provided with a lover, Which is adapted to be passed under the sill and through the other chain, and means for securing the free end of the lever adjacent to its chain after it has been so passed through.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in 15 

